Populus Alica Bee
by adder574
Summary: Dean discovers a new talent
1. Chapter 1

Populus Alica Bee

Summary: Dean discovers a new talent.

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't make any money from this.

Thanks once again to Soar for the awesome beta job. Any left over mistakes are my own. Thanks also to Soar and JuliaAurelia for their encouragement and feedback, I wasn't sure about posting this.

Thirteen year old Dean Winchester sat hunched over his desk, doodling in his notebook. He knew that he should be paying attention to the teacher at the front of the classroom, but all he could think about was the end of the day. Bobby had promised that he would take him and Sammy to the shooting range he had constructed behind his house.

He and his brother were staying with Bobby for the school year. John was working several jobs, and he couldn't take the boys. It would have meant putting them in a different school every week, so Bobby offered to take the boys so that they could have some stability, and John could see them whenever he was in the area.

"Okay, class," Mrs Clayton address her class of 7th graders. "We're going to do something a bit different this English class."

Dean perked up a little at that. "No poetry," he called out.

Angela Clayton resisted the urge to sigh as she regarded her newest student. He had just transferred in a few weeks ago and when he had arrived in her class, Angela had immediately pegged him as a trouble maker. He couldn't seem to take anything seriously and of the two assignments she had given, both had been turned in late and he'd failed the first test he'd taken.

"I have some really good news. The Watertown Tribune has agreed to sponsor our school this year, and we are going to attempt to qualify a student for the Scripps National Spelling Bee," Mrs. Clayton announced.

"Mrs. Clayton," a girl in the front row spoke up. "Can anyone try to qualify? I'd really like to."

"Yes, Elizabeth," Mrs. Clayton confirmed, pleased that Elizabeth wanted to participate. Elizabeth was the smartest kid in the class and Angela's favourite.

Elizabeth smiled smugly. Dean wanted to throw something at her.

"How many of you have participated in a spelling bee before?" the teacher wanted to know.

A few students put up their hands.

"Okay, so what we're going to do today is have a practice round, just so you can get the feel of how it works. I have a list of words, they're all taken from the spelling lists that you've had this year. I need everyone to stand up." Angela paused and waited for the class to follow her directions. "Now, I am going to give you a word. I want you to say the word before you attempt to spell it, so I know you understood it. You're allowed ask for a definition of the word, its language of origin, alternate pronunciations and to hear the word in a sentence."

"Can we ask how to spell it?" Dean asked. He couldn't help himself.

The teacher ignored him.

Dean decided that even if she gave him his own name, he was going to miss it on purpose. This wasn't his thing, it was Sammy's. He'd love this.

Dean smiled as he thought of his 9 year old brother. He was smart, way smarter than Elizabeth. He would probably win if he was there.

"Charlene, your first word is entourage," Mrs. Clayton said.

Dean found that he knew how to spell a lot of the words that the teacher was giving out, and it surprised him. School was not his thing.

Dean watched as they went around the room. Finally, they got to him. "Dean, your word is pterodactyl," Mrs Clayton said.

Dean smiled. He actually knew that one. Sammy was in a dinosaur phase. "Pterodactyl," Dean repeated. "P-t-e-r-o-d-a-c-t-y-l, pterodactyl," he finished and gave the teacher his own smirk. Stupid witch probably thought he'd spell it t-e-r-a-d-a-c-t-i-l.

The teacher looked at him in surprise. "That's correct. Mitchell, can you spell silicon," she said, going onto the next student.

After the first round, about one third of the class had been eliminated. They started the second round. Dean, once again, was determined to blow the round.

"Dean, can you spell stethoscope," Mrs. Clayton asked.

Again, this was something Dean was familiar with. As a hunter-in-training, he was no stranger to hospitals. "Stethoscope. S-T-E-T-H-O-S-C-O-P-E, stethoscope."

"Cor... Correct," the teacher stammered.

Mrs. Clayton gave Dean 'tsunami' for his third word. His dad had made him study a legend about a water spirit that was said to cause them. Dean had decided to spell it right because he was having too much fun messing with his teacher's head.

By the fifth round, it was down to Dean and Elizabeth Watts, the teacher's pet.

"Dean and Elizabeth, this will be like a sudden death round. If one of you misses a word and the other spells theirs correctly, they will be the winner. These words are going to get a little bit harder. Elizabeth your word is slalom.

"S-l-a-l-a-m," Elizabeth answered.

Angela corrected her star pupil, a little disappointed that she had missed it. "Dean, your word is magnanimous."

"Pardon me?" Dean said.

"Magnanimous," the teacher repeated.

He was determined to get this right, suddenly wanting to put Elizabeth and Mrs. Clayton's noses out of joint. _Okay, think Dean, he told himself. _"Is it Latin?" Dean asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Clayton confirmed.

Dean thought back to his study sessions with Pastor Jim. "Is it taken from the Latin magnus, meaning great, and the Latin animus, meaning spirit?" Dean asked. He was sure that was right. He could remember Pastor Jim telling him that.

"That's correct," Mrs. Clayton said, surprised that Dean knew that.

Suddenly the word flashed into Dean's mind. "M-a-g-n-a-n-i-m-o-u-s."

The teacher once again looked at Dean in surprise. _How the hell had he figured that out, she wondered. _

"Very good, Mr. Winchester. Congratulations."

Dean couldn't help the sense of pride that washed over him. It was the first time he had ever won anything. "Does this mean I don't have to do any homework tonight?" he asked.

Mrs. Clayton shook her head. "No. Tomorrow we are going to have another bee and this one counts. The winner gets to represent our class at the school spelling bee in two weeks time. The winner of that will go on to the district finals. You'll need a top 10 finish in the district competition in order to qualify for the regionals and if you finish in the top three at the regionals, you'll earn a spot in the nationals, which will take place in the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC."

"Do we have to participate, Mrs. Clayton?" a boy named Tommy asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Clayton said. "Everyone will participate in the class bee. If you win, but are not interested in competing for a spot at nationals, you can let us know and the option will be given to the student who finished second, and so on."

"I want to participate, Mrs. Clayton," Elizabeth said as if her winning was a foregone conclusion.

Dean bit his tongue. He couldn't stand her, but Bobby wouldn't be pleased with him if he had to make an extra trip back to pick up Dean if he got detention.

"That's good, Elizabeth," Angela said with a smile. "Now, I have a list of words that we'll be using for the class and school bee. There are about 100 on there, so make sure you study hard. The circuit is very competitive."

The teacher handed out the lists and sent the class on their way. Dean stuffed it in his backpack and went to go meet his brother. He had no intention of doing extra homework.

--

"Hey Sammy, Dean," Bobby Singer greeted the two boys after school.

"Hi, Uncle Bobby," Sam greeted him enthusiastically.

Dean returned the greeting as he listened to Sammy tell Bobby about his day. He waited patiently for his turn to speak. He wanted to tell Bobby about winning the bee in class that day. Despite the nature of the competition, he was feeling kind of proud of himself.

"Hey, guess what, Uncle Bobby?" Sam said. "Our teacher said we have an assembly on Friday to watch the school spelling bee. What's that?" Sam asked.

"It's like a game where you have to spell words. Whoever spells the most right wins," Bobby explained.

"Can I play?" Sam asked, his excitement growing. "I'm a good speller. I got every word right on my last test."

"It's for people in middle school, Sammy. You're not old enough."

Sam pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

Bobby glanced at the middle Winchester. "What about your class, Dean? Are they taking part?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "They're making us. We did a practice round today, but tomorrow it counts."

"How'd you do?" Bobby asked. He guessed that Dean purposely misspelled the words to get out of it.

"I won."

Bobby was surprised, but he hoped that he had done a good job of keeping his reaction off his face. He didn't want Dean to think that Bobby thought he couldn't do it.

"Yeah, Dean," Sammy cheered.

"Congratulations, son," Bobby said sincerely. "Did they give you a list of words to practice with?"

"Yup," Dean said.

"I'll help you study if you want," Bobby offered.

"It's okay. It's not my thing," Dean said.

"Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know. Oh, boys, one more thing. Pastor Jim's in town and will be joining us for dinner."

"Yeah," Sam cheered again. He loved Pastor Jim.

When they got home, the boys said hello to the Pastor, then Bobby had the boys do their assigned chores and when they'd finished, he took Dean to the salvage yard for a while. He knew that Dean loved learning about the engines. After that small break, Bobby instructed the boys to do their homework. Dean did his usual sloppy job and despite himself, he found himself drawn to the list of spelling words.

"What do you have there, Dean?" Pastor Jim asked as he entered the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

"It's a list of words for a stupid spelling contest we're having," Dean replied.

"Dean came first in the one they had today," Sam announced proudly.

"That's great, Dean," Pastor Jim said sincerely. He had long suspected that Dean's poor showing in school was an act.

Dean shrugged as if it was no big deal. "It didn't mean anything."

"Are you in the one they have tomorrow?"

"They're making us," Dean explained. "It's stupid. I was just going to see if I can make a paper airplane with this," Dean said, indicating his word list.

"Let me see, Dean," Pastor Jim said and took the list from Dean's hands.

"Pastor Jim," Dean said in exasperation.

Bobby joined the others in the kitchen. Ever since Dean had mentioned the spelling bee, it had brought back a lot of memories for him. He had competed in several bees when he was younger, but he'd never made it to the nationals, just missing out. He hadn't competed in his last year of eligibility because he was too afraid of failing again, and it was something he had always regretted. He knew Dean had the potential to go far, but would he be willing to put the effort he needed into it, and more importantly, would John really leave the boys with him for the whole year. He hated the thought of Dean putting in the effort and not being able to compete because John had dragged him off for a hunt.

"Come on, Sam," Bobby said he shook himself out of his memories. "Help us quiz your brother."

"'Kay," Sam said agreeably.

"Bobby," Dean said again. "I can't do this."

"Why not? You're smart enough," Bobby retorted immediately.

"I don't want to," Dean insisted.

"Just for fun then. Look, I was in the spelling bee in the 7th and 8th grade. I made it to the regionals, where I finished 6th and 4th. I just missed the nationals. Come on, first one to 20 wins. I bet you can't beat me," Bobby challenged.

"That's not fair, Uncle Bobby," Sam said sticking up for his brother. "You're old."

"Old am I, runt?" Bobby said picking up Sam and tickling him, causing Sam to erupt in a fit of giggles.

"Help," Sam cried, looking toward his big brother.

"Okay," Dean said and started tickling Sammy along with Bobby. Pastor Jim just watched them all fondly. He loved seeing John's son's get to act like boys for a change.

Finally, Bobby stopped and put Sam down. "Okay, Dean, I'll give you an hour to look at the words and then I'll be back. I won't study them since I'm old," he said with a wink at Sam.

Dean knew he had no choice but to agree and as agreed, an hour later, Bobby showed up and sat down. Pastor Jim picked up the list and gave Dean the first word. "Abrasive," he said.

Dean spelled the word correctly and Pastor Jim asked Bobby to spell centaur.

It continued, Bobby and Dean keeping pace with each other until they were tied 19 to 19. Pastor Jim told Sam that he could pick the last two words. Bobby's was xanthosis and he spelled it with a Z. Dean took a bit of pleasure in correcting him.

"Okay, Dean, your word is chrysanthemum," Pastor Jim said.

"Jeez, Sammy, you would have to give me a chick word," Dean complained.

"Spell it, Dean," Sam encouraged.

"Um, C-h-r-y-s-a-n-t-h-e-m-u-m," Dean guessed.

"Dean wins," Pastor Jim said with a smile.

"Yeah, Dean," Sam said, giving his brother a high five.

--

Dean really considered playing sick the next day, but he knew that Bobby wouldn't believe him, so he dragged himself off to school. It didn't help matters that the first person he ran into was Elizabeth. She gave Dean a smug smile and informed Dean that she had studied every word and could spell them all. Dean wondered how she could have memorized all 100 words in one day. It seemed impossible to him.

Angela Clayton watched as her most troublesome student took his seat. She knew it wasn't fair, but she wanted Elizabeth to win. Winning the national bee was something that she had always wanted to do herself. She had made it to nationals when she was in the 8th grade, but was out in the first round when nerves got the better of her. She really felt that Elizabeth would do really well though, and that she would take it seriously, so she tried to give Elizabeth the easier words. She deliberately gave Dean the hardest words on the list, she had a feeling that Dean would blow it off as a big joke, so she was more than a little shocked when Dean spelled every word correctly. Once again, it came down to Elizabeth and Dean. Dean was taking it seriously because he really wanted to stick it to his teacher.

"Okay Elizabeth, your word is rottweiler."

Elizabeth was over confident and spoke without thinking. "R-o-t-t-w-i-e-l-e-r," Elizabeth said.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth, that's not correct," Mrs. Clayton said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her tone.

"It's R-o-t-t-w-_**e-i**_-l-e-r," Dean said smugly.

"That is correct, Dean. Can you spell diocese?"

Dean smirked at Elizabeth. It paid to have a friend in the church. "D-i-o-c-e-s-e."

"Correct, Dean," she said stiffly, again trying to make sure the disappointment didn't come through in her voice. "You'll represent our class at the school bee, unless you don't want to," she said, this time trying not to sound hopeful.

Dean didn't want to. He was all set to refuse, but he could clearly see a look of hope that he wouldn't on the teacher's face and it made him mad. "I'll do it," he said, figuring he could just blow it then.

Sam was waiting for Dean outside his classroom, full of excitement, wanting to know how Dean had done in the bee. He immediately hugged his brother when Dean told him that he had won. He also didn't give Dean a chance to tell Bobby, because as soon as he saw the older man he blurted it out.

"Dean won, Uncle Bobby," Sam announced gleefully.

"Congrats, kid," Bobby said with a grin.

"Thanks, Bobby," Dean said as if was no big deal.

"He gets to compete in front to the whole school," Sam informed the elder mechanic.

Bobby looked at Dean. "You doin' this thing?"

"I guess," he said. He didn't feel it necessary to tell Bobby that he was planning to miss his first word on purpose.

"It's a lot of work, son. It means lots of extra studying, before and after school. It's a huge commitment," Bobby explained.

Dean's face fell. Didn't Bobby think he could do it either? Did they not think he was capable?

He felt little hands encircle him again. "Dean's gonna kick their butts."

The elder Winchester boy couldn't help but smile at his younger sibling. "Thanks Sammy," he said softly. He had needed that.

Bobby could see the change come over the boy. "Dean, I think you're smart enough to do well, but I just wanted you to know what you were letting yourself in for," Bobby said to correct Dean's misconceptions.

"Thanks Bobby," Dean offered shyly.

"Tell you what, I'll help you," Bobby offered. "You guys can even be excused from your chores and we'll start right now."

"Can I help too?" Sam wanted to know.

"I can't do this without you, little bro," Dean said and put his arm around his little brother.

The day of the school bee arrived. Dean couldn't ever remember working so hard in his life, which surprised him, since he was just participating to stick it to his teacher. Dean found that there was a lot more to it than just memorizing how to spell words. There were some he would have to memorize, but for the most part, he had to learn how to break words down to their roots, and that the origins of words could provide big clues. Bobby also informed Dean that he had a distinct advantage in that he had been studying Latin since he could read, and that most English words were derived from Latin.

"You ready?" Bobby asked his nervous protégé.

"I think so," Dean said. "I wish dad was here though." Dean wanted his father to see him compete, although he wasn't altogether sure how his father would react to this, or if he would even approve.

"He's proud of you just the same," Bobby said firmly. "Knock 'em dead today, kiddo."

Dean quickly took his seat at the front of the gymnasium. The whole school was there and it was making Dean even more nervous. He was glad he could see Sammy, though. His brother's belief in him gave him a big boost of confidence.

"Dean Winchester," he heard his name called.

Dean walked up to the microphone.

"You word is staphylococci," said a teacher from a pedestal in front of him.

_Was it f or ph, he thought as the panic started to set in. _He took a deep breath to get his nerves under control. "May I have the language of origin?"

"It's Greek," Dean was informed.

Dean relaxed. If the word was Greek, it meant it was a _ph_. "S-t-a-p-h-y-l-o-c-o-c-c-i," he spelled and looked at the judges. There was no bell ringing to indicate he had spelled it wrong, and the teacher confirmed that he had spelled it correctly and Dean went back to his seat. At least he had made it past the first round.

The next speller took his place at the front of the mike. Dean was beginning to wonder if the whole world was against him when he got the word knack.

An hour and a half later, it was down to Dean and another boy from the 8th grade named Greg Michaels.

"Greg, your word is placid."

"P-l-a-s-i-d," Greg said before really thinking about it.

_Bing! A_ bell rang indicating the word was spelt wrongand Dean had to moved up to the mike as Greg walked dejectedly back to his own seat._  
_  
"Dean, we need you to spell the last word and then one of your own," the teacher informed him.

"Placid. P-l-a-c-i-d," Dean quickly spelled.

"Correct and for the win, 'euphoric'."

"Is it Greek?" Dean guessed.

"That's correct," he was informed.

"Euphoric, e-u-p-h-o-r-i-c. Euphoric."

"That's correct. Congratulations, Dean," the teacher said, and there was a hint of a smile in that voice although the teacher managed to keep his face straight.

Dean's whole face lit up when the audience started clapping for him, and it did Bobby's heart good to see John's eldest proud of himself for a change.

"Congratulations, Dean," the school principal said joining him on stage. "Would you like to represent the school at the district bee?"

_Hell no, was his first thought. _He was still wondering what had happened to his plan to throw the competition. He knew in his heart that the reason he had done his best was because Bobby had put a lot of time and effort into coaching him and he felt that anything less than his best would have been disrespectful to Bobby. "Yes," Dean said with determination and he was stunned. Where the hell had that come from? He was beginning to wonder if he was possessed.

Then he was given forms to fill out and there were pamphlets that explained all the rules, and where he had to finish to make it to the nationals, where, if he won, he'd get 10, 000. He suddenly had a strong desire to win the whole thing. He had to win.

Dean knew that money could keep his family going for months. Sammy could go to school wearing new clothes instead of hand-me-downs. He could get Sammy the cool light up sneakers that he wanted. His father could get the Impala overhauled and maybe his dad would buy him the new Metallica album.

It was going to be tough, Dean knew that, and he wasn't sure if he was smart enough to pull it off, but he would give everything he had for his family. He just hoped that Bobby would continue to coach him. He just hoped his dad would approve. He looked around for his brother and found him in the middle of a large group of kids.

"Did you see my brother?" he could hear Sam saying. "He got all the big words 'cause he knows everything." Dean could only smile as a warm glow filled his heart.

--

Bobby hugged him tight after the hall began to empty. "I'm so proud of you, boy," Bobby exclaimed.

"Thanks, man. What about the trip to Washington? How am I going to pay for that?"

"Don't worry, kiddo. That's what the sponsors are for. They'll pay your expenses and the bee gives you two tickets. I'm thinking me and Sammy can come and cheer you on."

"Do you think... uh, never mind," Dean said quickly dropping that line of thought. "Will you continue to coach me?" Dean asked instead.

_Do you think dad would come? _Bobby knew what Dean had wanted to ask. He just honestly wasn't sure. Like Dean, Bobby wasn't even sure if John would even let Dean compete. He was, however, going on the principle that it was easier to get forgiveness than permission. He was listed as the boys' uncle and he could sign the permission forms. He just hoped that John stayed true to his word about leaving the boys with him for the year, because he and Dean had a lot of work to do.

"'Course I'll coach you," Bobby said as if it shouldn't have even crossed Dean's mind.

--

If Dean thought studying for his school bee was hard work, it was nothing compared to preparing for the district and regional finals. There were several times when he almost quit, when he found himself getting frustrated and overwhelmed.

It was Sam that made the difference. No matter how flustered Dean got, his little brother was always there to cheer him on and make him think he may have a shot.

Eventually, all his hard work paid off when Dean placed 9th at the district bee and third at the regionals. He was on his way to the finals.

His confidence was a bit shaken that he had just managed to qualify, but Bobby refused to let him put himself down, reminding Dean of the thousands of kids who didn't even make it past their school bees, like Elizabeth. He was on his way to the nationals.

"Okay, Dean," Bobby said as they sat down at the table on the evening Dean had qualified for nationals. "We have to get started. These are for you," Bobby said and pushed four big boxes at Dean.

"What are these?" Dean asked as he lifted the lid and looked inside. He found several flashcards. Each one had a different word on it, along with the language of origin and definition.

"I even made sure that they're spelled phonetically, so that Sammy can help you study if I'm busy."

"Thanks, Bobby. How many are there?"

"4000."

"Pardon me?" Dean said.

"There's 4000 words that we have to study."

"I can't learn 4000 words," Dean said, his confidence starting to erode once again.

"Just use the techniques we've been working on. Break the big words down to little words, and work on the memorization techniques you've learned. Remember, the language of origin can give you a big clue for suffixes and prefixes, so just remember those rules," Bobby encouraged.

"But Bobby, it's 4000 words," Dean protested. "I don't think I want to do this anymore."

"Dean, son, I want you to listen to me, Bobby said seriously. "Even if you're the first one out of the competition, you have to remember you're one of a lucky 200 out of thousands who couldn't get that far. I just want you to do your best, and the most important thing you need to remember is that win, lose, or draw, I'm proud of you, Sammy's proud of you and your daddy's proud too."

"Besides, you can't lose, Dean. You know everything," Sam informed his brother with a look of absolute faith in his eyes.

"Not everything, Sammy," Dean said with a small grin.

"Okay, Dean, one word at a time. Let's start with... Gabbro," Bobby said as he pulled a card out of the box.

"Definition?" Dean said with a sigh.

"A dark, course grained, igneous rock," Bobby said.

They had been hard at work for a couple of hours when they heard the familiar rumble of the Impala pulling up in the driveway.

TBC

This is two chapters, and chapter 2 is complete. It will be posted in a couple of days. Please read and review and let me know what you thought.

This story was inspired after I watched Akeelah and the Bee and I just had to attempt to write it. The title is National Spelling Bee in Latin, although I used an online latin translator so I'm not sure how accurate it is


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to Soar for the awesome beta job. Any left over mistakes are completely my own. I would also like to thank both Soar and JuliaAurelia for their feedback and encouragment.

John Winchester pulled up in Bobby's driveway. He'd only managed sporadic visits these last few months and he really missed his boys. He had gotten wind of a black dog in Delaware and Jefferson, who John had been hunting with, couldn't make it, so he decided that he would take the boys with him. It wouldn't hurt them to miss a few days of school and after the hunt was taken care of, he'd get them enrolled in a new school.

He walked tiredly up the front steps and let himself in. "Hey boys," he called out to them. Both boys ran and greeted their dad enthusiastically. They had missed him just as much as he had missed them. Bobby also joined them and said hello.

"Hey dad, guess what?" Sam said, excitedly tugging on John's arm, trying to get his father's attentions.

Dean knew that Sam was going to tell his father about the spelling bee, but blurting it out was not the best way to go about it. Dean figured that he had to give the news to his father in small doses. "Not now, Sammy. Dad's tired," Dean said trying to pull his little brother away.

"But Dean, I want daddy to know you're going to Washington," Sam said to his brother. Dean wanted to groan.

"It's nothing, dad," Dean said, trying to throw his father off the subject. "Um, school field trip."

"Dean's gonna be on TV," Sam suddenly announced.

John frowned and glanced over at his eldest. "Answers, Dean. Now!" He ordered.

There was no choice then but to admit the truth. Dean took a deep breath. "We had a spelling contest at school and I won," he started and told his father the whole story that had let to him qualifying for the national spelling bee. "Bobby's helping me to study," Dean finished. He looked at his father hopefully. He wanted his dad's approval.

"When is it?" John asked.

"In May," Dean said.

"So you can go hunting with me this week then. I need your help with a black dog."

"What about school?" Dean asked.

"It won't hurt you to miss a few days. Go pack yours and Sammy's bags. I want to be ready to leave by noon tomorrow," John informed his eldest son.

Dean glanced through the open doorway to the boxes of flashcards resting on the table. He needed every day to study, he had to win that money. Could he ask his father to excuse him from this hunt?

"Dean," John said when his eldest remained rooted to his spot.

"How many days are we going to be gone?" Dean said in a resigned tone.

"Pack all your things," John instructed. "The hunt's in Delaware. I'll enrol you in school there when we're done."

_We're leaving permanently, Dean thought. _They couldn't. He'd lose his sponsor and his spot in the spelling bee. He was surprised at how much that disappointed him, although he guessed he should be relieved. The pressure was off him now. He would have blown it in the first round anyway.

"Come on, Sammy. I need you to help me pack," Dean said to his little brother.

"But what about the bee?" Sammy said. "Uncle Bobby said we had to work hard. How can we hunt and study?"

"Boys, enough," John said in a tone indicating that he was not about to tolerate any more insubordination from his sons.

"Forget it, Sammy," Dean said. "Come on," he said and led his little brother out the door.

Bobby wanted to add in his two cents, but he knew that John was on edge right now and a confrontation would do more harm than good. John would refuse on principle alone. He decided it was best to wait until after dinner and John was relaxed with a cold beer in his hand.

In the boys' room, Dean was stuffing things into his duffle bag, not even bothering to fold them.

"Dean, are you mad at daddy?" Sam asked timidly.

"No," Dean said in a forced tone. "Dad has an important job and he needs our help."

"But Dean," Sam protested. "What about the..."

"Sammy, forget it," Dean snapped. "I'm going to get our stuff from the bathroom," Dean said and stormed out of the room. Sam could hear a door slam from down the hall.

Bobby had decided to check up on the boys and came down the hall just in time to see John's eldest storm out of the bedroom and slam the bathroom door closed.

"Uncle Bobby, is Dean mad at me?" Sam asked.

"No, kiddo," Bobby said comforting the small boy. "He's disappointed."

"Why didn't he just tell daddy that he doesn't want to hunt?" Sam asked.

"It's complicated, Sammy," Bobby explained. "But don't worry, I'll work on your daddy. Dean's worked too hard to miss this."

--

John wandered into his friend's kitchen looking for a beer. The boxes of flashcards on the table caught his eye. He picked up a card and looked at it. "Kibbutz," he read, only able to pronounce it thanks to Bobby' phonetic spelling. "Noun, Hebrew, a collective farm or settlement in Israel." He stared at the cards incredulously. Was Dean really planning on learning all these words? There was no way anyone could.

"Dad," a tentative voice called out from behind him.

John turned around and saw his eldest standing in the kitchen doorway. Dean had decided to tell his father about the money, maybe he'd change his mind about letting him go to Washington then.

"What's up, Dean"?" John asked his son.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Dean asked.

"What's about?" John asked.

"The spelling bee," Dean said. There was no point in beating around the bush.

"We settled this, Dean," John said in a tone that indicated the discussion was over. "Learning how to spell..." he stopped and looked at the card again. "Kibbutz, is not going to help you stay safe."

"K-i-b-b-u-t-z," Dean rattled off with a small smile. "I know that, but 10,000 dollars can go along way."

"What's this about 10,000 dollars?" John asked.

"The winner gets a check for 10,000. That could really help us, dad."

"You have to win first, Dean." John pointed out. "You're going to be going against kids that grew up doing this. Kids who go to private schools that probably have classes devoted to this sort of thing."

"Bobby's helping me study for it. Did you know he almost made it to the nationals?" Dean said.

John picked up several more flashcards and looked through them, looking for what he thought, was the easiest word. "Spell 'mirhab'," John said.

"Um, what's the language of origin?" Dean asked.

John looked at the card. "I don't know. What difference does it make?" John said impatiently. "Can you spell it or not?"

"M-i-r-a-b," Dean blurted out.

"Wrong, Dean," John informed his son a little harshly. "That was the easiest word in this stack. If you don't know this one, how the hell do expect to learn all these," he swept his arm indicating the other boxes. "There's no way to learn all this, so there's almost no chance of you winning. Now go pack."

Dean's confidence in himself bottomed out. If his dad didn't believe in him, he didn't stand a chance. He had been so stupid to think he could do this. His head dropped and he stared at his shoelaces, suddenly finding them fascinating.

Bobby really wanted to pull out his shotgun and introduce John to the business end. He was not letting this continue. "It's an Arabic word, Dean," Bobby said as he entered the room. "Give it another try."

"Um, M-i-r-_**h**_-a-b," Dean guessed.

"Good going, kiddo. You see, John, it makes all the difference to know where the word comes from. It can help even if you've never seen the word. And during the competition, he's allowed to ask." Bobby picked up a box of flash cards and handed them to Dean. "Go get Sammy to help you with these. We'll do a little more work after dinner."

"But..." Dean said.

Bobby gave Dean a wink, telling Dean to leave his father to him. Suddenly, Dean felt a little sorry for his father.

John, all of a sudden, felt something connect firmly with the back of his head.

"Ow. Hey man. What the hell was that for?" John said as he rubbed the spot where Bobby had hit him.

"You need another?" Bobby threatened and raised his hand.

"Bobby," John said warningly.

"How could you tell your son that you don't think he has a shot at winning? Are you trying to break him?" Bobby said, a touch of anger in his tone.

"He needs to be realistic. He'd be up against..."

"You," Bobby interrupted.

"Excuse me?" John said in confusion.

"Who do you think he's been doing this for these last few months, Johnny? All he's ever wanted to do was make you proud. If you don't think he can succeed, he's going to convince himself that he can't."

"Bobby, I..."

"I'm not done," Bobby interrupted John again. "You should have seen your son these last few months. He's been like a different kid. His confidence is up, his grades are up. He's even made some friends that he studies with. Think about it. He asked you to let him do this. When has he ever asked you for something?" Bobby said.

"Almost never," John had to admit. "I miss my boys, Bobby," John said, admitting the biggest reason he wanted them with him.

"Then stay. Dean is going to need all the help he can get. Caleb can take care of the black dog, or Joshua might be able to," Bobby said, he could see John wavering. He just needed one final push. "Think of the money and how many hunts you could finance with 10,000."

"But can he win, Bobby? I'm not putting him down, but there is only one winner and about 200 people who are going to lose."

"He's got the same odds as anyone else," Bobby pointed out reasonably.

"Can he handle it if he loses?" John answered back. "Is he going to see it as failure if he loses?" John said stating a legitimate concern.

"We've had some discussions about this. He'll be disappointed, but he has to remember that just making it there is succeeding. There are thousands of kids that don't," Bobby explained.

"Alright. I'll call Caleb. If he can help me, Dean can stay and compete, but if he can't, I'll need his help," John compromised. "Hey Bobby, are you sure that's Dean?" John asked suddenly. "He's not possessed or anything is he? I mean, he hates school."

_No he doesn't, he just wants you to think he does._ "It's him alright. I put holy water in his lemonade," Bobby said with a smile.

--

The following day, John called Caleb to ask for his help with the black dog. Caleb, who'd actually been planning on going after a suspected witches' coven, had gotten an earful from Bobby the night before, so he agreed.

John then told Dean at breakfast that he and Sammy were going to stay with Bobby, and that he could compete in the spelling bee.

"Thanks dad," Dean said genuinely. He tried to hide his excitement. "Are you gonna come watch?"

"I don't know, kiddo, if I can get there, maybe. Knock 'em dead, okay?"

"Sure dad," Dean said, again trying to hide his true feelings, this time disappointment.

--

The day to leave for Washington had finally arrived. Seeing how shaken Dean was from the plane ride, Bobby refused to let Dean study the first day they were there, instead he took the boys out on a tour of the town. The next day, they only worked on words Bobby knew that Dean was having trouble with. He knew that it was very easy to get overwhelmed, especially with the big event the very next day.

On the morning of the competition, they arrived at the Grand Hyatt Hotel conference room early. Bobby took Sam with him and went to register Dean and get his number and when he got back to the conference room and looked for Dean, it was a little hard to spot him. All the kids in the competition were wearing white golf shirts, with the Scripps National Spelling Bee logo, and beige dress pants. Finally spotting him, Bobby made his way over to Dean.

"You feelin' alright, kid?" Bobby inquired when he was next to Dean. He looked a little pale.

"Ah, no. I think I'm gonna be sick," Dean said and suddenly took off for the bathroom where he proceeded to empty his stomach. Bobby followed him. "Come on, Sammy, I think your brother needs a pep talk."

They went to the bathroom and waited for Dean to finish. "Here," Bobby said handing Dean a ginger ale to help settle his stomach.

Dean looked at his coach and friend. "I don't belong here."

"Dean," Bobby said sharply. "If I ever hear you say something like that again, I'm puttin' you over my knee and tanning that backside. I don't care if it's on national TV. Are we clear?"

"Yes Bobby," Dean said automatically.

"You're just nervous. Now take a deep breath and relax," Bobby instructed.

"Yeah, Dean. I know you can do it. You're my brother," Sam said causing Dean to smile.

Dean followed Bobby's advice. He stuck close to them until he had to go take his place on stage, but he wanted to throw up again when he had to step up to the mike, a combination of the lights, the audience and the cameras making sweat break out on his face.

"Dean, your first word is pneumectomy," a voice said from beyond the lights.

--

John Winchester was in an airport just a few hours outside of Washington, DC. He was waiting for his plane to California, where there was a suspected woman in white, and he was in a cranky mood. The Impala needed a new transmission and John didn't have the money for the parts. He would have used a fake credit card, but he had to get new ones, so he left the car with a hunter friend that he trusted and set out for the airport. He got there just in time to hear that his flight was delayed. He sat in an uncomfortable airport chair watching ESPN when the National Spelling Bee came on.

He could hear the announcers talking about different kids when a familiar name caught his ear. He looked up and saw his son's face on the TV screen. John couldn't believe how nervous Dean looked.

"13 year old Dean Winchester from Watertown, South Dakota, is another one to keep on eye on. From what I understand, it's his first year on the circuit and he could be one of the dark horses to win this year," an official looking person said.

"That's my boy," John whispered proudly.

John startled. What the hell was he doing sitting in an airport when he should be with his son, watching him, supporting him? He stood up and stalked to the counter to rent a car. He could be in DC in a couple of hours.

"I need a car," John told the rental clerk. "I don't care what kind it is."

"Okay, we need to see a copy of your driver's license," the clerk asked.

John went to hand over a fake ID, when all of a sudden, he grabbed his real one as he saw Dean approaching the mike for the first round. He had an important announcement to make to everyone standing around him. "That's my son," he announced to everyone in the lobby, letting the pride come through in his voice as he watched Dean spell his word correctly. "I have to get to Washington."

The woman smiled at John. "Here you go, Mr. Winchester," the clerk said. "Good luck to your son."

--

Dean breathed a sigh of relief when the announcer told him that he had spelled his first word right. He had asked every question he was allowed to try to buy a little extra time to calm his nerves, so he didn't make a stupid mistake.

His word in the second round brought his heart right back into his stomach, when out of any hundreds of thousands of words he could have gotten, they gave him shtriga. He spelled it without a problem, but it brought up some unpleasant memories. He decided that if he could get through that one, he could get through anything, and his confidence grew as he worked his way through the rounds.

In the 13th round, there were five spellers left. The words were getting tougher and during that round, there were two more eliminated. It was now down to three. Dean stepped up to the mike for his turn.

"Argillaceous," said the official announcer.

"Argillaceous," Dean repeated. "What is the language of origin?"

"Latin."

"Definition please?" Dean asked.

"Of relating to, or containing clay or clay minerals."

"Argillaceous. A-r-g-i-l-l-a..." Dean trailed off, his mind going blank and his frustration growing. He knew this word, he could remember studying it with Bobby, but he was blanking.

"Can I restart?" Dean asked the judges. _Calm down, he told himself firmly. _

"Yes, but you cannot change the letters you've already spelled," he was informed.

Dean looked at his hands, hoping they could somehow give him the answer. He looked over to his brother, hoping for encouragement, but he did a double take because there with Sammy sitting on his lap, was his father. Suddenly he could see the word in his mind. "A-r-g-i-l-l-a-c-e-o-u-s, Argillaceous?" he finished and held his breath waiting for the bell to sound.

--

John ran into the fancy hotel and straight the conference room. Traffic had been heavy and he had prayed, for the first time in a long time, that he hadn't missed the whole thing.

All the seats were full so John picked up Sam and sat him on his lap.

"Good to see you, Johnny," Bobby said sincerely, with a touch of nervousness. Dean was struggling with his word.

John made sure that he caught Dean's eye as his son turned towards them. He saw Dean's face light up and Dean finished spelling his word. John cheered when the announcer said it was correct.

"Dean's kicking ass, daddy," Sam said proudly.

John ignored his youngest son's language and hugged him tight. "He is, isn't he?" John said proudly.

--

In the next round, all three of them spelled their words correctly, but round 15 eliminated one more contestant. Dean and another boy named Winston Palmer were the two finalists.

"We'll take a short break and commence with the championship round shortly after," it was announced.

Dean bolted off the stage and into his father's arms. "Dad, you made it," Dean said excitedly.

"This is where I'm needed," he confirmed. "I'm so proud of you, Dean," John said and ruffled the hair of his eldest.

Dean managed to spend some time soaking up the encouraging presence of his family before he and Winston were called back to the stage. There were 25 words in the championship round and if either contestant misspelled a word, then they had to spell the missed word, plus one of their own to win. If they spelled them all correctly, then they would be co-champions.

Dean was first. He stepped back up to the mike.

"Rhesus," the announcer said.

"Can I have the definition?" Dean asked.

"It's a type of monkey."

"R-h-e-s-u-s," Dean said.

"Correct."

John turned to Bobby. "How the hell did he know how to spell that?" John wanted to know. He would have said recesses, which is how it was pronounced.

"That's why you ask for the definition, dad," Sam explained.

"Thanks, Sammy," John said. "I'll remember that next time."

They were 15 words into the championship words when Dean was given the word, Merovingian.

"M-a-r-o-v-i-n-g-i-a-n," Dean tried.

_Bing. The bell sounded. _

Dean cursed himself and dejectedly walked back to his seat. Winston quickly stepped up to the mike.

"You need to correctly spell Merovingian and then another word, and you'll be the champion," the announcer said.

"M-_**e**_-r-o-v-i-n-g-i-a-n," Winston spelled.

"That is correct. Winston, if you correctly spell this word, you'll be the Scripps National Spelling Bee champion."

In the audience, Bobby and John were both wishing the kid would crash and burn.

"Xylophilous," the announcer said.

"X-y-l-o-p-h-i-l-o-u-s," Winston said.

"Congratulations, Winston, you are this year's champion."

There was applause and cheers from Winston's family as he celebrated and the announcers asked everyone to congratulate both boys for making it this far.

The awards came next. They watched as Winston was presented with a large trophy and the check. Dean received his own smaller trophy and he was awarded the second prize of 3000 dollars. It would still help his family, but not as much as the 10,000 would have.

"Bobby," John said seriously. "This is what I was afraid of. Look at him," John pointed out.

Bobby looked up and saw what John was talking about. It didn't show on his face, but anyone who knew Dean Winchester just had to look at his eyes to know how he was feeling, and John and Bobby could tell that Dean was beating himself up for losing, and feeling like he had failed.

When it was polite for him to make an exit, John and Bobby saw Dean take off through a side door.

"I'll go talk to him," Bobby said. He wanted to smack Dean's father. Bobby could understand being disappointed over not winning, but why the hell was Dean feeling like he had failed? He blamed John for that.

"I got this one," John said, quickly stepping in front of Bobby and heading off after his eldest.

He found Dean sitting in a stairwell.

"Dean," John said softly so he wouldn't startle his son.

"Hey dad," Dean said dejectedly.

"You did great up there," John said sincerely.

"I didn't win," Dean pointed out miserably. His father had finally come to see him and he had screwed up again.

John sat next to Dean and put an arm over his son's shoulders. He felt Dean lean into him. "Do you really think that's what I care about?" John asked his son. "I'm so damn proud of you right now, Dean, I don't even have the words to properly describe it. I mean, the work and commitment you put into this clearly showed. I couldn't spell half the words I saw you spit out up there. It takes a lot of courage to do this, Dean. Way more than hunting some evil spirit. I'm such a proud dad today, Dean, and I'll tell you who else is proud of you right now, aside from Bobby and Sammy, I mean."

"Who's that?" Dean asked curiously.

"Your mom."

Dean looked at his father, eyes glistening.

"I was debating whether to tell you that for the last couple of months, kiddo, I just didn't know if it would add extra pressure on your shoulders. Now I wished I had told you. Your mom would have loved to see you do this. She loved books, and words and learning. She's probably telling all the other angels all about you right now," John said sincerely.

"Thanks dad," Dean said softly, trying to keep the hitch out of his voice.

John hugged his son tight. "Come on, let's go celebrate. It's not every day I get to take out a champion."

"Winston's the champion, dad, not me," Dean pointed out.

"You are in my books, kiddo. What do you say we get some ice cream?"

"Chocolate chip?" Dean asked.

"Is there any other kind?" John said. He returned his arm to its spot across Dean's shoulders when they both stood up, and John led his son out the door, back to Sammy and Bobby.

The end.

Please let me know your thoughts. Even just one review makes my day and I'm not to proud to beg.


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